Animal feeding device



Dec. 8, 1953 F. B. REICHENBACH ANIMAL FEEDING DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet lrag s Filed Jan. 50, 1952 Dec. 8, 1953 F. B. REICHENBACH ANIMAL FEEDINGDEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 50, 1952 FIJIIFIJI:

IQ Illh I ,a r r 23m U Patented Dec. 8, 1953 1 v UNITED STATES I PATENTounce- ANMAL FEEDING DEVICE FrederickB. Reichenl ach,pes Moines, IowaApplication January so; 1952, Serial No. 269,027-

2 Q e ms- 16, 7

My invention relates to a device for feedin A funtherobiectoimyinyentign is to provide a animals and is more particularly adapted forfeeding ,.dev.ice .of the vaboye classin which all use in the feeding ofsmall pig's, althoughflits elements contacting themilkare open to thefat"- utility is not intended to be confinedthereto.mcsnhereandareirefilyland easily accessilplefor Int-he raising of pigsat the present time, .the the purpose of cleanin and sterilizing.

generally accepted method-is to have the brood v A still further.objfict pf this invention is. to

sow suckleher youngforsix-to eight weeksand provide as a part of the,apparatus' set forthla 'in this process, experience hasdemonstratedthat thermostatically controlled means formaintainapproximately one-third of the litter does not ing-the-milkatapredetermined ternperature.

.survive for any qneof several-reasons, andalso Stillafurther-objectormyinventionis toprothat the sow loses some one hundredor more I vide a ifeeding device for sma li ia -i hat Enlpounds in theprocess. To replace the lost weight bodiesithe use of a plurality .91separate feedonthe sow after the-sucklingperiod requires -aping stalls,each adaptedto accommodate -onepig,

proximately six weeks, during'which time the and eachistall beingsodesigned.thatwhileflthe sow will ,consume ---a'-bout ten bushels ofcorn. pig can-obtain ,an ...ad.q late. sup 1y'offliiiilkfit Since a sowcanbe marketed three days aftercannotgetbodilyintethereceptacle'farrowing its young, it is obvious that the cost inthemilkandcflnliaminateit,

of feed forit duringand after the sucklingpe- A f urther objectoflmyinvention emlapdi esthe riodcan be very substantial when considered incombination with theififiding devicev of th ahgve the light of thenumber of sows marketed each class0'f apenprovidediwitha nearl'siorldisppsyear. ing oftheibodywaste ofnthepigs so that'itfdoes Theadvantages of feeding-young pigscaway not contaminatethe milk nor :dirtyIthepeiif,

from thesow are obvious if onlythe-savings in I: Still a further.9hjecto'fathis' men mn o feed 'ofthe sow are considered, and to thisend provide-a-pig feeding apparatuslof the alcove ass much time andefiorthavebeen devoted to dein which the milk supply is automatically strred velopin g a method and means for accomplishing at predeterminedintervals.

" .been developed 'which'appearsto be satisfactory. rangement, and coin)v this objective. The chief drawback to success These an e bie9 ill .;bll l l jel t t0 has-been the lackof a suitable substitute-for. sowsthoseskilled in the art. milk and it is only recently that aformula'ha'sMy inventionconsists inthe construction arannotat v r a t Consequently,with-this new-product a-certain .lof the device,whereloytheilolcjectscontemplated degree of success in raising young pigs awayfrom are. attained ashereinafter.'inore f.u1lyjset'i'lorth, thev sowistnow possible-by making theimitation andspecifically-pqin doutlirimy.c1airns,.aridilsows milk available inpans or troughs placedin--lustrated ,-.in the ac panyin Qdrawings, {in side pens.Aspresentlypracticed, the milk is which: V mechanically delivered fromoverhead (supply ::Fig..1.isra-perspective viewpimyvieedingde- .sourcesby, means oftubes or conduits that empty vicashownincombinationwithanenc fsedl'feed- ,into areceptacle from whichthe'litter drinks. ing pen,

This practice is relatively new andseveral :dis- 1Fig.12 is.a.schematic,view illustrating a pluadvantages are alreadyapparent. Thedelivery 40 rality .of my'ieeding de' ces arrangedfin aj'hat- ,of milkthrough tubes orconduits presents a tery,

problem inadequately cleaning such supply lines I Fig. 3 ,is amenlargedfragmentary perspective that has not :been satisfactorily-solved.' Also,1 view.showingythejefiding stall arrjangementQfor to wallow andsplash'ahd-in-which they-frequent- .my device, V

the open receptacles from-which the --milkis myinvention, v drunkprovidethe little pigs-with a-place-in which 'Fig. :4 illustrates.theaf6dine cup assembly for 11y deposit their body -wastes. Inaddition,---the Eig 1.5 iillustrateseaieeding trough as avariamilkasnowflsupplied to the litter is not kept tion for thecups shqwni 1g.4

warm and if it is allowed to stand too long is :Fig: 6, is an.enlarlidaqmifirfi fi g l viewtalsen .more apt'to curdle because of theabsence of any 50. on the linefiTliofiEig. l

, stirring means therefor, unless stirred by hand. "With the aboveproblems inmind, -it--is thegenvintended to loean, artificial sowsmilk-and the feeding, process performed by' my invention is ,Qintendedtobeinlieu of having the vsow suckle her [,yQ-une. I

eral aim of my invention to provide an' apparatus that will mechanicallydeliver liquid feed in a receptablefrom which it can be consumed bysmallpigs. in this respect,itheliquidprovided is housin in... and .9 p,

:.-,;mechanism. :'I"his h 1s pre'i aplym" i ifi or wire 30 the shape ofa crank handle l8. A motor or the like 20 is mounted on the side of thehousing Hl below the handle l8 (Fig. 1), and has the relatively shortarm 22 which is secured at one end to the shaft 24 that protrudes fromthe motor.

4 their lowermost position will be within the con fines thereof. Thispan 62 is designed to contain a supply of a suitable feed hereillustrated as liquid feed such as milk or the like 64 for the youngpigs. A thermostat 65 is suitably mounted within the housing I so thatone end thereof can extend into the pan 62 and be surrounded by the milk64. The thermostat is connected by The damper motor is old and noinvention is claimed in its construction or use per so. 'A rigid barlink 26 is pivotally connected at one end to the free end of the damperarm 22 and similarly connected at its other end to the handle l8.

An electric switch control box 28 that may be of any suitable type toperform the functions later described is secured to the housing,preferably on the outer side at the top, and is connected to a source ofelectric power by the cable The cable 32 connects the motor 20'to thecontrol box 28. oppositely disposed within the housing at pointscorresponding to the end portions of the shaft 14 are the verticallymovable bar members 34 that have'their upper and lower ends respectivelyextending through the top and bottom of the housing Ill as shown in Fig.6. Each bar 34 passes through a bearing guide member 36 located on theunderside of the housing top and a similar guide member 38 secured tothe underside of the housing bottom (Fig. 6). To the bottom of each bar34 there is pivotally secured one end of a rigid bar link 40, with eachlink 40 having its other end pivotally secured to an ear 42 that ismounted on one of the legs 12 as illustrated in Fig. 6. A separate coilspring 44 connects each link 46 to the bottom of the housing'lfl.

On each end portion ofthe shaft l4 adjacent I to the inner side of therespective pillow blocks 16 is secured a gear member 46 which Ipreferably show in the form of a quadrant of a gear wheel. The teeth oneach of these members 46 are positioned to mesh with gear teeth 48 onthe upper portion of the corresponding bar 34 (Figs. .1 and 6). shaft l4and willtherefore raise and lower the bars 34 according to the directionof rotation The quadrants will move with the of the shaft. To the bottomportion of the bars 34 I detachably secure my drinking receptacleassembly, a preferred embodiment of which is shown in individual cupform in Fig. 4, but which may be made as a single trough as illustratedin Fig. 5. The drinking assembly comprises an elongated support bar 50that has its end portions bent upwardly to form the bracket arms 52. Ineach arm 52 I provide a pair of holes 54 that will each frictionallyembrace a boss 56 in the bottom portion of each of the bars 34 asillustrated in Fig. 8. Preferably, the arms 52 should have someresiliency so that they can be moved out of engagementwith'the bossmembers 56 as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 8, and thus allow easyremoval of the drinking assembly for cleaning purposes. A series ofspaced apart individual drinking cups 51, or a s ngle trough 58 or likefeed box, is secured below the support bar 50 in spacedrelationshipthereto by'means of the metal straps 60. Thus arranged, the cups ortrough will move-upwardly and downwardly withthe barmembers 34. -An opentop tom of the housing It so that the cups 5'! in a cable 66 to thecontrol box 28 which has a connection'68 to a heating element 10 locatedadjacent the underside of the housing In. Thus the milk in the pan 62can be kept at any temperature for which the thermostat is set. A doormeans 12 is provided on the rear of the housing so that the apparatuswithin the housing-can be easily reached for purposes of cleaning orrepairs and the replenishment of the milk supply.

Along the front side of the housing 10 1pmvide a plurality of adjacentdrinking stalls 14 as shown in Fig. 3. These stalls comprise ahorizontal surface 16 in which I provide a plurality of spaced apartopenings 18, each of which has the downwardly extending annular flange80. Separating the holes 18 from each other are the partitions 82 whichproduce the appearance of individual stalls. Each opening 13 registerswith one of the cups 51, or with the trough 58 if a trough is used, andwhen the cups are in their uppermost position, the top edges thereofwill be slightly higher than the bottom of the flanges 80, and theseflanges will extend partly within the cups as shown in Fig. 6.

Preferably I provide in combination with my feeding device abovedescribed, a pen 84 that may be of any suitable size and design. Inmypreferred embodiment of the pen I use wire mesh for the top, sides andbottom, with one side open so that it can be arranged to enclose thestall portion 14 of my feeding apparatus. The floor 85 of the pen isremovable and is on the same plane as the bottom 16 of the stall asillustrated in Fig. 6. Legs 88 may be provided for the pen if necessary.Beneath the pen floor I provided a fixed drop pan an that slantsdownwardly from the feeding end to the front of the pen and is designedso that body waste from the pigs will be funnelled into a removablereceptacle 92. A

' door means 94 is arranged at the front of the pen as shown in Fig. 1.

Thus constructed and arranged, my invention will operate in thefollowing manner. The pan B2 is used to hold a supply of whatever liquidfeed is used, which in the case of small pigs will be an artificial sowsmilk. The milk is manually placed in the pan and the supply can bereplenished or replaced from time to time as may be required. PreferablyI recommend that it be changed at intervals not longer than twelve hoursand, at each changing, the pan should be removed for cleaning andsterilizing. The easy access to this pan through the door 12 and itsopen top construction make it possible to not only clean the pan quicklybut also to thoroughly sterilize all parts thereon and is a decidedadvantage in this respect over feeding devices that employ the use ofenclosed tubes or conduits. The thermostat 65 will control the operationof the heating element 10 to maintain the milk 64 at any desiredtemperature.

The operation of the motor 20 is controlled by a time clock mechanism(not shown) of any suitable make which is located in the switch box 28.

Preferably I have used an eight minute interval at which time the arm 22makes one complete revolution. It will be observed (Fig. '1) that f r,thanfive stalls be provided for each pen to obtheihetor is ho hioperation, the arm 22 extends upwardly so that the link member 2-6 isholdingthe crank arm l8 in its uppermost position, whereby theb'a'rs .34are raised and the "quadrants 4'6 engage the teeth 48 'onthe bars 34causing the cups 5! to descend and become submerged in the milk. Whenthe damper arm 2! begins its upward movement, the crank arm is will bemoved upwardl which causes the cups to ascend to their originalposition. It will beobserved that in this operation the crank arm {doesnot make a complete revolution but merely ihoves upwardly'and downwardlyfor a distance equa to that which the cups travel in theirvertidalmovements. In the upward movement of v thefarm, the spring M willexert'an upward-pull oh. the member as to relieve the strain on the,ffhotor. The timing control should be set to stop T the arm at itsupward position after one com- 'plete revolution. By this'operation, thecups are periodically submerged in 'Warm'milk and such submersionaccomplishes two purposes. First, it liefills the cups with warm milk,and secondly, jitjservesto stir and agitate the milk in the pan [52.WIwish to point outthat while I presently us an eight minute interval forthe refilling, of the cups, that future experience may demonis'tiat'ethe desirability of a different timing intervaiand this, of coursecaneasily be accoml'iplis'h'ed without departing from the principle of "myinvention. 1 With this apparatus, it is apparentthat a supply; of warmmilk isalways available within the Preferably, I suggest that not moresame asthe pan 62.

-v1ved but have accumulated-from fifteen to twenty=five percent morebody weight in the comparable feeding time for those suckled by the sow.V

If the milk in the pan 62 is changed at regular intervals, as I havepointed out, it is not necessary to discard the unused supply asthat'can be fed to older pigs. Consequently, there r is no financialloss in the use of artificial sowsmilk.

I With reference to Fig. 2, I have illustrated a schematic view ofabattery arrangement to accommoda'te a large-number of pigs. In thisconstruction the use of -my" device can-be easily adapted by using aseparate pan 62' anda separate'c'up assembly for'each tier. One set ofbars '34 and one motoror the like will be sufilcient for operating theentire battery as I have described.

It willbe observed that the cup assembly is quickly and easily removablefor cleaning, the Also, the floor of the. pen is designed to beremovable so not only can it be cleaned as required but easy access tothe drop pan is available for the same purpose.

Some changes may be made in the construction and-arrangement of myanimal feeding device without departing from the real spirit and purposeof my invention, and it "is'my intention to her-provided. withan-opening in one side, aremovable receptacle within said housingmember, a pair of vertically spaced apart guide' members in said housingmember, a bar memb'er mounted in said guide members and verticallymovable tain thernost efficiency in the handling of then- I pigs.Likewise, the'number'of pigs in the pen should not be greater than thenumber of feeding stalls available therein. In actualpractice, Tirp'erience has "shown that the pigs quicklyadapt ,j themselves todrinking from t e individual cups; ih'e stall arrangement provided bythe sides or apartitions 82 "serve a two-fold purpose during the feedingprocess. First,'they concea1 one pig from the view of the other whilethey are drink- Ting so that each has a complete cup and milk supplytoitself, and secondly, it provides a place to nudge against, whichaccommodates an in- Pherent characteristicfand habit of small pigs.Eachs tall is just large enough to receivethe head of one pig and thereis no'way by'which it can get bodily into the cup as occurs when largefeedreceptacles are used. Consequently, the milk canbe kept clean andthe danger from disease and the like is materially reduced. The drop panQ0 will carry away the body wastes and particu larly theurine, so thatthe problem of keeping I the pigs dry is considerably reduced.Obviously, also,this entireappa'ratus can be kept in heated(surroundings, if desired.

' The use of this feeder can be started when the litter is three daysold and the advantages flowtherein, a rotatable 'shaft-on'saidhoushig'memher, means on said housing operatively connected to saidshaft for rotating the samefirst-inone direction and then in another,said shaft operatively connected to said bar member wherebyrotationsecured to said-bar member and movable intoand out of said receptacle by"movement ofsaid bar memben'and said cup-member when out of saidreceptacle-adapted to register with said opening whereby access to saidcup'member is available from outside ofsaid housing member.

2. In an animal feeding device, a housmgmemher, a removabl'e'receptaclewithin the bottom portion of said housing member, a pair of verticallyspaced apart. guide members insaid housing member, a bar member mountedin said'guide members and vertically movable therein,arotatableshaft'on' said housing member, means on said housing'forrotating said shaft first in'one direction andthen in another, saidshaft operatively connected tosa id bar member whereby rotation-of saidfshaftwill-move said bar member in two'vertical directionsrespectively-a cup member detachablysecured tos'aid barmember above saidreceptacleandmovable into andout of said receptacle by movement-of saidbar member, an animal feeding'stall -'in one side of said housing membercommunicating'with both the inside and outside thereonsaid cup'memberwhen out of said "receptacle adapted-to register with said feeding stallWherebyaccess'to said cup memher, is available from' outside of'said'housing member, 'and' a thermostatically controllecl'heat yin'g"element beneath saidreceptacle.

aeensoo ber, a removablereceptacle within the bottom portion of saidhousing member, said receptacle designed to contain a supply of animalfood, a pair of vertically spaced apart guide members in said housingmember, a bar member mounted in said guide members and verticallymovable therein, a rotatable shaft on said housing member, means on saidhousing for rotating said shaft first in one direction and then inanother, said shaft operatively connectedito said bar member wherebyrotation of said shaft will move saidbar member two verticaldirectionsrespectively, a cup member detachably secured to said bar member abovesaid receptacle and movable into and out of said receptacle bymovementof said bar member, by which operation said cup becomes filled with theanimal food in said receptacle, an animal feeding stall in one side ofsaid housing member, said feeding stall comprising a horizontal surfaceprovided with an opening that communicates with both the inside andoutside of said housing at a point above said receptacle and a partitionmember on each side of said opening, said cup member when out of saidreceptacle adapted to register with said opening whereby access to saidcup member is available from outside of said housing member, and athermostatically controlled heating element beneath said receptacle formaintaining the food in said receptacle at a predetermined temperature.

4. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable feed supply receptacle disposed withinsaid housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pair of-verticallyspaced apart guide members in said housing member, a bar member mountedin said guide members and vertically movable therein, a rotatable shafton said housing member, means on said housing operatively connected tosaid shaft for rotating the same in opposite directions at times, saidshaft operatively connected to said bar member whereby rotation of saidshaft in one direction will move said bar member upwardly and rotationthereof in the other direction will move said bar downwardly, a feed boxdetachably secured to said bar member so as to move into and out of saidfeed supply receptacle by the respective movements of said bar member,said feed box becoming filled with feed each time it moves into and outof said feed supply receptacle, and said feed box when out of said feedsupply receptacle adapted to register with said opening where accessthereto is available for feeding purposes from outside of said housingmember.

5. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable feed supply receptacle disposed withinsaid housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pair of verticallyspaced apart guide members in said housing member, a bar member mountedin said guide members and vertically movable therein, a rotatable shafton said housing member, means on said housing operatively connected tosaid shaft for rotating the same in opposite directions at times, saidshaft operatively connected to said bar member whereby rotation of saidshaft in one direction will move said bar member upwardly and rotationthereof in the other direction will move said bar downwardly, a feed boxdetachably secured to said bar member so as to move into and out of saidfeed supply receptacle by the respective movements of said bar member,said feed box becoming filled with feed each time it moves into and outof said food supply receptacle, and said feed box when out of said feedsupply receptacle adapted to register with said opening where accessthereto is available for feeding purposes from outside of said housing.member; said means for rotatin said shaft normally holding said. bar inits uppermost position, and time control means connected to saidrotating means for moving said bar at predetermined intervals firstdownwardly and then upwardly to its starting position.

6. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable feed supply receptacle disposed withinsaid housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pair of verticallyspaced apart guide members in said housing member, a bar member mountedin said guidemembers and vertically movable therein, a rotatable shafton said housing member, means on said housing operatively connected tosaid shaft for rotating the same in opposite directions at times, saidshaft operatively connected to said bar member whereby rotation of saidshaft in one direction will move said bar member upwardly and rotationthereof in the other direction will move said bar downwardly, a feed boxdetachably secured to said bar member so as to move into and out of saidfeed supply receptacle by the respective movements of said bar member,said feed box becoming filled with feed each time it moves into and outof said feed supply receptacle, and said feed box when out of said feedsupply receptacle adapted to register with said opening where accessthereto is available for feeding purposes from outside of said housingmember; and time control means connected to said shaft rotating meansfor holding said feed box in registering position with said opening fora predetermined interval and for periodically operating said rotatingmeans to move said feed box into and out of said feed supply reservoirand back to said opening whereby the feed in said feed box is regularlyreplenished.

7. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable reservoir for liquid feed disposedwithin said housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pairofvertically spaced apart guide members in saidhousing member, a barmember mounted in said guide members and vertically movable therein, arotatable shaft on said housing member, motor means on said housing forrotating said shaft at predetermined intervals, first in one directionfor a predetermined time and then in the opposite direction to itsstarting position, said shaft operatively connected to said bar memberwhereby rotation of said shaft will move said bar member in two verticaldirections respectively, a cup member detachably secured to said barmember and movable into and out of said reservoir by the respectivemovementsrof said bar member, said cup becoming filled with liquid feedeach time it moves into and out of said reservoir, and said cup memberwhen out of said reservoir adapted to register with said opening whereaccess thereto is available from outside of said housing member.

8. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable reservoir for liquid feed disposedwithin said housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pair ofvertically spaced apart guide members in said housing member, a barmember mounted in said guide members and vertically movable therein, arotatable shaft on said housing member, motor means on said housing forrotating said shaft at predetermined intervals, first in one directionfor a predetermined time and then in the opposite direction to itsstarting position, said shaft operatively connected to said bar memberwhereby rotation of said shaft will move said bar member in two verticaldirections respectively, a cup member detachably secured to said barmember and movable into and out of said reservoir by the respectivemovements of said bar member, said cup becoming filled with liquid feedeach time it moves into and out of said reservoir, and said cup memberwhen out of said reservoir adapted to register with said opening whereaccess thereto is available from outside of said housing, and athermostatically controlled heating element in said housing beneath saidreservoir for maintaining the feed in said reservoir at a predeterminedtemperature.

9. In an animal feeding device, a housing member, a removable receptaclewithin the bottom portion of said housing member, a pair of verticallyspaced apart guide members in said housing member, a bar member mountedin said guide members and vertically movable therein, a rotatable shafton said housing member, means on said housing for rotating said shaftfirst in one direction and then in another, said shaft operativelyconnected to said bar member whereby rotation of said shaft will movesaid bar member in two vertical directions respectively, a cup memberdetachably secured to said bar member above said receptacle and movableinto and out of said receptacle by movement of said bar member, ananimal feeding stall in one side of said housing member communicatingwith both the inside and outside thereof, said cup member when out ofsaid receptacle adapted to register with said feeding stall wherebyaccess to said cup member is available from outside of said housingmember.

10. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable reservoir for liquid feed disposedwithin said housing member in the lower portion thereof, a pair ofvertically spaced apart guide members in said housing member, a barmember mounted in said guide members and vertically movable therein, arotatable shaft on said housing member, motor means on said housing forrotating said shaft at predetermined intervals, first in one directionfor a predetermined time and then in the opposite direction to itsstarting position, said shaft operatively connected to said bar memberwhereby rotation of said shaft will move said bar member in two verticaldirections respectively, a cup member detachably secured to said barmember and movable into and out of said reservoir by the respectivemovements of said bar member, said cup becoming filled with liquid feedeach time it moves into and out of said reservoir, and said cup memberwhen out of said reservoir adapted to register with said opening whereaccess thereto is available from outside of said housing member, and themovement of said cup into and out of said reservoir serving as astirring means for the liquid feed in said reservoir.

, 11. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable feed supply receptacle within saidhousing member, a pair of verticallv spaced anm-f.

guide members in said housing member, a bar member mounted in said guidemembers and vertically movable therein, a rotatable shaft on saidhousing member, means on said housing operatively connected to saidshaft for rotating the same in two directions respectively, said shaftoperatively connected to said bar member whereby rotation of said shaftin one direction will move said bar member downwardly and rotation ofsaid shaft in the other direction will move said bar member upwardly, ananimal feeding stall in one side of said housing member communicatingwith both the inside and outside thereof at a point above said feedsupply receptacle, a cup member detachably secured to said bar memberand movable therewith in a vertical plane into and out of said feedsupply receptacle intermediate said receptacle and said feeding stall,and said cup member when out of said receptacle adapted to register withsaid feeding stall where access thereto is available from outside ofsaid housing member and from which animals can feed.

12. In an animal feeding device, a housing member provided with anopening in one side, a removable feed supply receptacle within saidhousing member, a pair of vertically spaced apart guide members in saidhousing member, a bar member mounted in said guide members andvertically movable therein, a rotatable shaft on said housing member,means on said housing operatively connected to said shaft for rotatingthe same in two directions respectively, said shaft operativelyconnected to said bar member whereby rotation of said shaft in onedirection will move said bar member downwardly and rotation of saidshaft in the other direction will move said bar member upwardly, ananimal feeding stall in one side of said housing member communicatingwith both the inside and outside thereof at a point above said feedsupply receptacle, a cup member detachably secured to said bar memberand movable therewith in a vertical plane into and out of said feedsupply receptacle intermediate said receptacle and said feeding stall,and said cup member when out of said receptacle adapted to register withsaid feeding stall where access thereto is available from outside ofsaid housing member and from which animals can feed, and time controlmeans connected to said shaft rotating means for holding said feed boxin registering position with said stall for a predetermined interval andfor periodically operating said rotating means to move said feed boxinto and out of said feed supply receptacle and back to said stallwhereby the feed in said feed box is regularly replenished.

FREDERICK B. REICHENBACI-I.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

